pros and cons of a tornado

That's a real softball, Peter ! I have 5, why?, cause for the money, you can't find a better boat. The Tornado Sport with double trap, sq top main, self tacking jib, & spinnaker obsoleted all the old classics with two sails. Portsmouth # of Sport is 59 similar to F-18's, N-20. Portsmouth of classic is 63.9 still pretty fast. All up weight is 375, 45 #'s lighter than H-18. The centerboards sure makes it easy to come into the beach. My Sport (an Olympic contender) came with 16 sails, so I have some nice Glasers & Smyth's for the old classics. I like the woodies as they're dry, look good, and seem fairly stiff. Obviously light weight of crew helps and they're great single handers in light winds. I have put extrusions on several of mine for a front tramp for family sail--nice to have only two back of the main beam. Jury still out on righting. Capsized once in La Paz & flew to the top dagger I was so hyper. Bounced mast on water, until a passing fisherman came by & lifted mast up a little whereupon I righted it (135 #'s) & flew back on tramp never getting wet. Have a righting pole now, but haven't used it. Plan some practice sessions next weekend as my 17 yr old daughter will be skipper from now on. Played a dirty trick on my neighbor last year. Paul has a Corsair 24 & loves it. So I told him he could use one of my woodies if he stored trailer in his yard. Two sails on Tornado & one more on Corsair & Corsair is for sale! Pete

Thanks for the response. I kinda guessed that would be your opinion. I have also been keeping tabs on
an Prindle 18-2 in really nice shape. It is missing the jib and he just dropped his price to 2K on galvanized
trailer. Not sure that this will be a big enough step up over the H18.

I would highly recommend it. Considerably lighter & faster and 6" wider. Easier to move around on the beach. Pete

I have both of these boats available right now. Which one would you go with Pete?

If you can keep the Tornado on the beach, mast up, it's no contest. But launching from the tilt trailer is an extra step you don't need. The 18-2 would be easier to use if you have to travel, and it's an upgrade from H-18. The liveliness of the 375 # Tornado is compelling though. Make sure at least 6 or 7:1 Harkens and 8:1 downhaul and be sure traveler is good. Some older ones with plastic rollers need upgrades. Pete

What pete says, the 18-2 is essentially a shorter narrower tornado. Both are awesome fast boats. The tornado is faster and the extra foot and a half of beam makes it even more so. Still one of the best designs ever made.

I had a ride a few years ago on a Tornado. That boat flat out hauled balls. No two ways about it. If it were not for the tilt issue, I would already own one.

an 18 square on a beach with the mast up would be a boat to consider. unirig and fast.
marcs2

Edited by marcs2 on Sep 10, 2012 - 05:12 AM.

I sailed on a 10' beam this weekend for the first time (on a mystere 6.0xl) in 20-25 and it was amazing. The extra 18" made a huge difference when we got a gust over 25. i helmed it a lot and it was no harder to helm than any 6.0.

on the fliip side, when the wind is light.. the extra beam does not help

Posts like that just feed my addiction. Any tips on what to look for when buying a tornado and tips
on how to break one down to tow home on a standard cat trailer?

Start checking in on the Yahoo Tornado group regularly, and feel free to ask questions there as well, there are some very knowledgable guys there that are always helpful. Wood boats can be light and stiff if in good condition. Some were homebuilt. so try and get a feel for weight. The classic Ts have a jib and pinhead main, often dacron, and if old, probably stretched out and too much draft. Later model Sports added a second trapeze, squaretop main, spinnaker(best with a snuffer), and a more sophisticated mast and mainsail controls. Marstrom boats were/are high quality construction. Boat condition is the most important consideration for me, and is a big factor in the price. Make sure you can determine what might be missing, replacing equipment is expensive. Consider the condition of the sails, how many seasons you might get out of them before needing expensive new ones. This boat is most practical if you can safely leave it rigged mast up somewhere. Trailering and launching with a tilt trailer is a noticably bigger deal than with an 8' wide boat, and breaking down the boat for trailering will get old quickly. Because the T has lost its Olympic status, the value of late model boats have dropped significantly relative to the technology/performance offered, as serious racers move to more active classes. So if you have the cash for a newer boat it'd be a great value. With older boats, the value is more dependent on condition, and your ability to asess that. Good luck, it's an awesome machine!

Dave
Stealth F16
Bimare F18 HT
18 square
ARC 22
Flight Risk, custom 24'

Many good points brought up so far ... I ownded an 87 Sailcraft for about 6 years ... prior to that I had the Prindle 19 MX ... the Tornado is in a totally different league ... AWESOME AWESOME BOAT .. fast, stable and forgiving. I sailded it solo many times from Los Angeles out to catalina island. The one thing I would like to add..... parts are readily available for the P-18 .... for the Tornado .. you will have to have patience and creativity.

mark corby

The boat that I am ready to pull the trigger on is a 1976 fiberglass one. How do I know who made it?
The boat is stored indoors and has not been used much the last few years. I do have mast up storage but there are a few races that I would like to take it to. Any tips on what to look for would be appreciated.
Saturday I take the 4 hr trip to see it.

Go to TornadoCat@yahoogroups.com and ask for Geoff or Mike Dobbs, they know these boats inside and out, and workedor owned Sailcraft of Canada that made Tornados in this period. They'll have all the answers to your questions, and help you determine a good value when you see one.

With any fiberglass boat of this vintage, rap on the hulls all over to located possible soft spots or delaminations. Beware of boats that will suck lots of time and money. It's always cheaper to hold out for a boat in good condition and pay a little more. Unless you have great composite skills and a backyard full of spare cat parts.

Dave

Thanks Dave just joined the group.

I was doing some reading on the Tornado,(the gentleman who owns the sail loft/sailing supply store close to me won a gold medal in the Olympics sailing Tornado's) as I thought it might be the next step up.
I came across a piece that claimed they do 17-18 upwind & 33+ reaching.
I know they are fast, but can a 20 Cat really be that fast?

They are STILL one of the fastest cats ever made. I think the only 20' or smaller boast with a lower portsmouth rating are Marstrom 20 and the Nacra 20 Carbon. Mr. March knew what he was doing in 67!

Fast Fun Furious Boat 🙂 Major grins sailing a T

Wolfman wrote: They are STILL one of the fastest cats ever made. I think the only 20' or smaller boast with a lower portsmouth rating are Marstrom 20 and the Nacra 20 Carbon. Mr. March knew what he was doing in 67!

Well a modern sport rig is not exactly a 1967 design is it?

Wolfman wrote: They are STILL one of the fastest cats ever made. I think the only 20' or smaller boast with a lower portsmouth rating are Marstrom 20 and the Nacra 20 Carbon. Mr. March knew what he was doing in 67!

I tend to take what you say with due respect. I never met a Canadian that I didn't like. Now please stop it before I end up with a damn boat sitting 45 degrees on the trailer!

I blame you all for having a gorgeous 1976 sailcraft tornado in my yard. This thing even looks fast.
I am the third owner of this beauty. Even came with extra sails and beach wheels.

Congratulations! Awesome!

Poor Hobie 18's & 16's; they are about to be neglected!!! Pete

HaHa Pete you might be right. Posted some pics under pete's tornado. This thing is in amazing condition.

nice boat, i would have 1 in a flash

basically the gold standard for old beach cats

such a wealth of tuning tips and equipment out there

i wouldn't avoid an frp classic

but i would avoid an old woodie...

We have a Panthercraft tornado in our fleet, early 70's. Heavy snow load (remove tramp in snow country) 3 winters ago caused major cracking of frp. Repairs have proved very satisfactory, but I prefer my woodie. One hour of sanding once a year & one hour for re-varnishing. A woodie means epoxy coating inside as well as outside of hull effecting encapsulating wood with epoxy resin. Pete

parting out a fiberglass tornado. vicelefante@yahoo.com

Trailering and launching with a tilt trailer is a noticably bigger deal than with an 8' wide boat,

Dave Farmer, can you shed some light on what makes it more complicated?
I looked at a bunch of T's, thought it would be easy to find one up here, as SCOC made them here for years, & the Olympics were sailed in Kingston. All I ever found were woodies, generally in sad states, or more work than I wanted. I just looked over one that had the measurers stamp & signature on the sail from CORK in the mid 80's. There are a couple of Marstroms for sale, but to much for my snack bracket, or more correctly I have split my fun money into too many hobbies!
I found a 2001 Mystere 6.0XL, (basically a copy of the T), with square top, spin, double trap,furling, front tramp, wings from an H21, along with the full setup to make it into an 8' beam. It came on a custom aluminum trailer with electric winch to raise mast, 3 sail boxes,(2 plastic 1 fibreglass) beach dolly & a bunch of spare odds & ends. The negotiated price was so damn good I just had to buy it. I don't NEED another cat, but...(my wife says it's a cheaper hobby than 22 yr old flight attendants).
I will store it mast up at my dock, but may consider a few road trips. I was thinking, pull two quick pins, turn the crank til it's flat, raise the stik & back it into the water. I didn't see it as any more of a chore than what I would have to do with my Nacra's should I decide to tour them.
Am I missing something obvious?

PS- what does that string in the leech of the square top do?

Edited by Edchris177 on Nov 15, 2013 - 02:26 AM.

No, you're not missing something. Some of the trailers were not finished like yours (if you have a crank to lower/raise it). Then it would take two strong guys to raise/lower it. Garage door springs tensioned under the trailer frame help a great deal as well as winch systems. Your uprights have quick pins, most have bolts with nuts requiring getting out sockets. These are the things that give a bad rap to trailer sailing a "T". Digging out the mast is a little trickier & requires two people. Otherwise once flat it's just like your Nacra. Pete